I wouldn’t quite call this an “epic” playlist that Genius has created for me here, but man is it sure awesome. The reason I say it is intriguing, and the inspiration to blog about it, will probably only be obvious to people familiar with the album “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea” by Neutral Milk Hotel (the one Graham thought should have been on our top 5 of the second half of the ’90’s lists, and Graham, had I knew of it when it came out, I would agree). The album is an indie classic, and this playlist is based on my favorite from it, “Two Headed Boy.” This song is epic in itself, with Jeff Mangum’s powerful, genuine and quite endearing vocals sang and sometimes just flat out yelled over an equally passionate and often frantic accoustic guitar. The intriguing part is that the list closes with part 2 of this song (the closer on the album), which I’m not sure if Itunes is capable of reasoning out for itself or if it just coincidentally happened that way.

The lyrics in both parts of this song, although I believe the first to be better musically, are not only intriguing but are almost distractingly deep. I listened and listened to this song when I first heard this album, and upon reading the lyrics could only really decide that the artist was talking about some kind of a relationship and the good and bad parts he held on to dearly in its aftermath. Well, after a few years of occasional contemplation, I’m really no more savvy to the subject than before, but holy crap is this a great song. If you’re as interested as I was in the lyrics you hear in this song, check out the link before the list. Its a pretty sweet site I found called Song Meanings.net, and the community has had some outstandingly well stated interperatations of this song in the comments, all starting around 2004. If you just skip around to the long ones, they’re usually worth the read. Enjoy the list, because I certainly do 😀 Continue reading →

A new but nonetheless important tradition that I’ve developed in the past half-decade or so is ringing in of every new year not with Auld Lang Syne, but with “The New Year”, a wonderful and poignant take on new beginnings by Death Cab For Cutie. I like to believe that doing so has brought me good fortune, or at the very least a bit of fleeting indie cred. Sadly, this tradition did not carry over to this year, where I found myself at an abysmal party that happened to be booming “Fergalicious” at the moment the clock struck midnight. I have and will continue to contribute every bad thing that happens to me this year to this unfortunate event, and hope and pray that next year begins the correct way.

Fortunately, the redemptive qualities of “The New Year” are not limited to January 1st, as this iTunes Genius playlist got me through an otherwise difficult morning. Filled with semi-obscure tracks from some of my favorite artists, it was a real treat. In the spirit of Epic Genius Playlists, I just can’t keep this one to myself.

The Musical Moron Twins are great and all, but there just hasn’t been enough FACE MELTING. In this episode, we bring an extra dose of rock goodness by counting down our top 5 heavy metal albums along with our newest guest star, Jay (who is a 100% certified metal fanatic). We also discuss Pitchfork’s recent Top 500 songs of the decade list and read a few of our favorite comments from this very blog! We also take a step back from metal for a bit and feature the incredible Bat For Lashes in our “Bands You Need To Know…Or Else!” segment.

As before, you can read our picks after the break and download the new episode with the links below:

I’m pleased to introduce a great new feature of our website, called “Epic Genius Playlist”. If you’re not familiar with the excellent iTunes “Genius” feature, it works like this: you pick a single song from your library and it makes a 25 song playlist out of similar stuff in your library that Apple’s magical music elves feel will make sense. It’s a good way to make quick playlists without any work. This works particularly well with very large music libraries, as it brings about a much better variety and more surprises. We both happen to use this feature a lot and on occasion, a truly epic playlist comes out of it. Genius can make the kind of playlist that can set the tone for a wonderful day, or turn a crappy day into a good one.

Our first edition of “Epic Genius Playlist” is a playlist based on Radiohead’s “Airbag”, the opening track on the modern classic OK Computer (which topped Erik’s list in our “Best Albums of the Second Half of the 90’s” episode). Every song on this list comes with high recommendations from us, especially when played in sequence. You can read the full list after the break.

We’re back from the best weekend ever and have plenty to talk about! In this episode, we’re counting down the 5 best performances over the course of a weekend packed with the best bands in the world. Other Lollapalooza discussion ensues in this lengthy tribute episode. We don’t stop there, though, as we’re featuring a new feature based on a particularly excellent iTunes Genius playlist, and yet another pair of great new bands you need to know: Two Gallants and Blow Up Hollywood. Stay tuned for more bonus content from our Lollapalooza trip, exclusively on this website!

As always, you can read our picks after the break and download the new episode with the links below:

Even the Musical Moron Twins have skeletons in their closets – and in their music collections. In this episode, the truth comes out – we reveal the top five albums that we’re ashamed to own, let alone love. This is unlilke any other list we’ve done, so be warned – these picks can and WILL shock you. On a less frightening note, we’re also talking about two more bands that you need to check out – the regreattably broken-up indie rock outfit The Slack Republic, and the Grammy-nominated, Neptunes-produced rock artist Kenna. You can read our picks after the break, but remember – you’ve been warned.

Music can provide the soundtrack to any life event, no matter how major. One event that many share is the long drive to or from home in the middle of the night. In this episode, we count down what we feel are the best albums to accompany those long drives. We also feature two more bands you need to know: the Minneapolis hip hop project Hand Over Fist, and lamentably broken-up indie band Rider. You can read our picks after the break.